


Candlelight

by unwindmyself



Series: curious shapes shift in the dark [114]
Category: True Blood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Female Friendship, Fix-It, Gen, Plans, agency and choices!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-06 07:31:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5408258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unwindmyself/pseuds/unwindmyself
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Various of the women putting finishing touches on (and musing on) the impending wedding.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Candlelight

**Author's Note:**

> Part one, "Last Damn Night."
> 
>  **Original Characters** : Vanessa Quinones, mentioned Antoine Henriques.

“I cannot believe we’re doing this,” Nicole mutters, lighting one of the candelabras on the banquet table.

Luna laughs bitterly, straightening a display of sparse, ribbon-adorned branches in a vase.  “I’m going to tear that asshole to pieces, if that’s what you mean,” she says.

“No, you’re not,” Nicole says firmly.  “At least not right away.  You try, and he’s gonna kill whoever he can, whoever’s closest.  Sookie, or Jason, or Devi, or…”

“Y’know, part of me doesn’t even care anymore,” Luna mutters.  “I know that’s cold of me.  Sookie and Jason and Devi and everyone are my friends.  Hell, Sookie and Jason are in my failed wedding party.  But Sam is _dead_ and I still haven’t told Emma, he was going to be her _stepfather_ and I can’t even find a way to call her and tell her that he’s gone because it’s so horrible -”

“Hey,” Nicole says suddenly, “hey, it’s going to be okay.”  She comes around the table to lay her hand on Luna’s shoulder.  “We’re gonna get this bastard and then I’m gonna help you explain all of this to Emma, I promise.  And I’m not saying she’s not gonna be devastated, because she is, but it’s gonna be okay.  She’s gonna be okay, you’re gonna be okay.  We’re gonna be okay.”

“I wanna believe you,” Luna says with a wan smile.

“Then do,” Nicole presses.  “And if you’re gonna tear into that shithead, be careful about it.  I’m sure Emma loves her werewolf grandma, but she loves you more.  And the rest of us would like to keep you around too, okay?”  She manages a smile of her own, one that’s trying to be consoling or encouraging.

“Yeah,” Luna says, closing her hand over Nicole’s.  “Thanks, Nic.”

 

* * *

 

“Midnight approaches and neither bride nor groom are anywhere to be found,” Pam murmurs, leaning against the front porch railing and watching the last of the decorations be put into place.  Between the dozens of candles on the tables and the softly twinkling lights strung up in the tree, it hardly even looks like the middle of the night.

“Sookie is still getting ready,” Willa calls, approaching with her phone in hand.  “They’ve apparently been arguing over how to do her hair and it’s taken up some time.”

Pam snorts, the sophistication she’d been radiating a moment ago all but vanished.  “I guess it would be difficult to figure out what hairdo would best represent ‘I want you to think I just want to marry you, but really I’m faking it so I can lure you to your death like a siren,’” she muses.  “That’s a little more complicated than getting fancied up for a wedding that’s just ‘rustic.’”

“I think the hairstyle is a metaphor,” Willa says very seriously.  “Or at least a stalling tactic.  I don’t blame Sookie for being freaked out - hell, I don’t blame any of them - but, y’know.  Sooner we start, the sooner it’s done.”  She sighs.

“You’re not freaking out yourself, sis?” Pam asks, tilting her head at Willa.

“I mean, it’s not my hand that’s been promised in marriage to a vampire-fairy demigod thing,” Willa mumbles.  “I’m nervous, ‘cause this guy has proved he’s not above playing dirty, and I don’t wanna lose anyone else outta our circle, but - I dunno, I feel like it’s not my place to freak out _too_ much, y’know?  Someone’s gotta stay calm.”  She glances around the yard.  “I mean, Luna and Nicole are still furious, and they oughta be.  Nora’s freakin’ out ‘cause what if he’s got drug blood and she relapses and Jess is freakin’ out on her behalf and Eric is freakin’ out on her behalf _and_ on Sookie’s, an’ Tara and Lala are worryin’ about Sookie too, and, I dunno.  You’re always level-headed and stuff, don’t you understand what I’m talkin’ about?”

Pam raises an eyebrow.

“I mean, you’ve gotta freak out sometimes, but you’re good at holdin’ back,” Willa continues.  “You’re tellin’ me you’re not a little bit worried that this fairy fuck isn’t gonna cause destruction underneath that aloof face like you wear ninety percent of the time?”

“Why sis, you’ve found me out,” Pam drawls, and she refuses to clarify if she actually means it or she’s being sarcastic.

 

* * *

 

“This was _not_ something that we planned for when we got it in our little collegiate heads to come down here,” Vanessa sighs, leaning back on her hands.  She and Amber are sitting on the steps of the house, allegedly supervising as Antoine hangs lights.  “I mean, shit, we just thought we were gonna be super cool and progressive and help shifters transition out of the closet, not fuckin’... uncover the vampire concentration camp that the governor had been masterminding and become accomplices in said governor’s girlfriend’s murder, sorry -”

“Don’t be,” Amber interrupts, smirking.  “Sarah was a fuckin’ life-ruining hellbeast.  Jason just sent her back on home.”

“Fair,” Vanessa says.  “But, yeah.  That, and then being vaguer accomplices to the murder of the state’s goddamn king of the vampires, which, definitely didn’t know that was a thing until then.   _Then_ sticking around to help reform and also re-form the vampire government, which, also didn’t know _that_ was a thing…”

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Amber asks.  “All the things you stumble into when you’re not trying.  For what it’s worth, though, good job.  And thanks.”

“For what?” Vanessa asks.  “I mean, other than the Sarah thing.”

“For not being one of the shitty humans,” Amber says.  “For being a human who’s puttin’ her ass on the line for a bunch of undead freaks you didn’t know half a year ago.  I kinda gave up on people after my sister, I guess.  So it’s good to see that some of y’all don’t suck.”  She kisses Vanessa's cheek, smiling.

 

* * *

 

“Shit,” says Braelyn as they step into the yard.

It’s really coming together, lights and decorations and a real Southern wedding feel, and it’s almost a shame that it’s all going to go to hell in the next hour.

“We shoulda brought mason jars,” Charlaine declares, folding her arms over her chest.

“I think I’m missin’ something,” Sookie says, actually cracking a smile.

“Southern weddings,” Charlaine says.  “On all the bride shows, they’ve always gotta have mason jars on the tables or somewhere.”

“And burlap,” Adilyn adds.

“And cowboy boots,” Danika nods.

“It’s a thing,” Braelyn summarizes.


End file.
